Gentianas and Forget-Me-Nots
by Cuilwen
Summary: (MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE GAME) A thousand years have passed since the Chosen King had fulfilled his destiny, a thousand years he spent alongside his wife, isolated from both the Living World and the afterlife. When Shiva, goddess of ice, offers them a deal to change fate and return to live their former lives once more, will the Chosen King and the Oracle accept?
1. Prologue

The usual disclaimers apply. I do not own neither Final Fantasy nor any of the Characters, nor is my name Square Enix. I do not make any money with this. I'm simply using the plot and characters to deal with the mental trauma that was the ending of FF15.

* * *

If Lunafreya had to choose, she would say that she liked the mornings in the citadel the best. She liked standing in the throne room, marveling at the fine architecture, paintings and details that surrounded the large seat atop of the stairs. She would sit on these stairs of polished marble, watching as the soft light would filter through the large panes of stained glass where once there had been a gaping hole in the structure. She'd smile at the pictures the light would paint on the floor and walls, little dabs of color in an otherwise pale room. And Noctis would enter the room and focus solely on her as if she was the most important thing in the world to him, making her feel warm and treasured. He'd smile at her and her heart would break because it never looked truly happy. There was always a lingering sadness threatening to spill forward. She knew he would never admit it, for it was his duty to protect his kingdom from another catastrophe like the one had had ultimately demanded both their lives as a sacrifice. But Luna knew that Noctis missed his friends, people who had stood by his side unflinchingly, even when walking straight through hell. These people were his family, just as his father had been, just as Luna was.

Luna also knew that this sadness could not be changed for his friends were in a place far different from their own. Noctis had a duty to fulfill, thus keeping him, from joining his friends and family in the afterlife. Even Ardyn, betrayed and bitter, had found peace there. Luna could have gone into this realm of peace as well, but she chose to remain and wait for her love in a place that could have become their little haven, yet ultimately was nothing more than a golden cage spun out of bittersweet memories.

Luna sat down the crown of Gentians that she was weaving. For whom she didn't know, even though Noctis would humor her and wear it if she so wished. Maybe Shiva would like it. After all, they bore the name of the form she'd held for so long...Luna picked another flower, careful to leave the stem long enough to be able to add it to the piece. Gentiana Verna, Noctis had called them, surprising her with the knowledge. Later he would admit that his Chamberlain had forced him to learn at least a few flower names and their meanings. He'd remembered this once, he told Luna, because he thought it interesting that its meaning could be completely changed, depending on the occasion. On its own it was a wish for a sweet dream, a declaration of true friendship through all. Combined with others, it could become the meaning of anger, declaration of injustice and disappointment. Luna wondered what Noctis saw when he looked at these. Would he see them as something sweet and beautiful or a reflection of his thoughts about this prison he was in for an eternity.

"You ponder too loudly, child. It echoes of these walls and distorts it into horrible things. My Ifrit is complaining about all the noise." Luna smiled at the voice speaking behind her. Instead of turning around, Luna focused on the flower in her hand. With nimble moves, she'd weaved it into the crown, making the one flower into one of many, forming something beautiful.

"How is he?" Luna asked the ice goddess, who gave a tinkling laugh in response, the sound as fragile as the first ice of winter.

"Aside from complaining, bemoaning the loss of his astral form, he is well. He will adapt to this form, this smaller and less powerful form in time, as he's always done before. Now tell me, my dear child, what has you thinking so hard that your thoughts echo not only through our connection but resonate through mine and Ifrit's?"

"I wonder what Noctis would answer if I asked him whether he'd stay with me or join his friends for a last journey."

"But that is not all you wonder." Luna looked up, pale blue filling with fear, a thin pane of glass over her heart waiting to shatter and impale it with its shards. "You wonder if he'd leave you for his own happiness, if he'd be happier had he never chosen you."

Luna bit her lip, looking down in shame. She had to keep her fingers from clenching, gripping into the fragile flowers and crush them mercilessly.

"I do," she whispered, yet it echoed through the otherwise silent halls as if mocking her. "Had he refused to pursue the union after Insomnia fell, he'd never have come to Altissia on that day. Had he only followed his destiny as the chosen king -"

"Nothing would have changed." Luna looked up in surprise as Noctis, her regal and kind Noctis stepped into the throne room, his eyes on her as always. "Even if I'd ignored the fact that everything within me was screaming at me to get a move on and make sure that you're alive and well, I would have had to come to Altissia to wake that ruddy snake up. He may be a temperamental asshole," Lunafreya looked at him in horrified indignation. "but he still would have been one of the Six. And I needed the blessing of all of them to fulfill my duty. But, luckily for you, I adored you - and still do before you even think of asking - with every fiber of my being. Prompto made sure to tell me every time I read our journal to wipe that lovesick grin from my face because it made him weary." Noctis picked up the crown from Luna's hands and plucked another flower. While he knew the basic idea of how Luna was weaving them together, she could watch with amusement as he fumbled around with the flower until it stuck unsteadily on the side of the crown, the head of the blossom drooping sadly. Noctis sighed in defeat and handed it back to Luna who immediately plucked the blossom into the correct position. Noctis shook his head in fond adoration.

"I'll never understand how you make these. No doubt Ignis would have loved to help you. The man was pretty much perfect at everything he set his mind on…" Luna gave him a sad smile.

"You miss them," she said. It wasn't a question. They both knew that he did. "You mention the, more often, lately." Noctis hung his head slightly and it hurt Luna to see him like this.

"I'm sorry. I guess I, too, think more often about what could have been. If there'd been a way to save everyone…"

"Even Ardyn? " Luna challenged. She knew that for a long while, Noctis had resented the fallen Oracle. Luna had tried explaining that Ardyn had been the first victim in all of this, yet it had taken well over a century for it to no longer fall on deaf ears. So it delighted her when Noctis gave a firm nod at her question.

"Especially him. As you said, hadn't he been wronged, all of this never would have happened. But I don't think there would have been a way. At least not one within my realm of possibilities." Luna gave him a sad smile at that. True, they had been here for a long time, but Noctis really had come a long way from the naive boy he'd started out as.

The king and last heir of the line of Lucis sat down next to his wife, occasionally plucking flowers for her to weave into the crown.

"If I could change one thing, I suppose I would have liked to prevent the disaster in Altissia. There were so many dead on that day, so many people without an Oracle that had to watch their lost ones become fiends and deamons that ultimately took the lives of the few that had survived Leviathan's wrath…" Noctis smiled, a wry and tired smile that betrayed his usually so kind features, when Luna sat the finished crown atop of his head.

"What about the attack on your father, before everything slipped out of our hands?" Noctis shook his head.

"No, the attack couldn't have been stopped. I am certain that he knew what was coming. As Cid said, ' _he was dealt a losing hand and played it as best as he could'._ But I am certain that we could have done some sort of damage control. So maybe even if Nifelheim invaded, my father wouldn't have died. The city wouldn't have fallen and the wall would have remained. But with everything that happened, we all needed the fall to happen."

"Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes?" Luna provided a metaphor. Noctis snorted in an undignified manner.

"More like a chocobo waddling out of its nest for the first time. I remember what a wake-up call it had been, seeing Insomnia fall. Feeling the pull of the crystal solely on me. We all encountered our hardships during our journey, but some I wish I could have protected my friends from, but it had helped us become the people we needed to be to fulfil our task."

"What if your task where to change?" Shiva whispered, icy arms slinging around Noctis' neck in a deadly embrace. Noctis shivered, watching as the fern frost creeped across his equally cold skin and down his royal garments. Their patterns added something otherworldly to the fabric, forming intricate designs.

"Speak clearly, would you? It is hard to understand you, when you're only partly here." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw blue lips pull into a smile that was all teeth and unspoken challenge.

"What if you were to go back, but instead of saving the world from Ardyn, it would be to save the old oracle instead? Save the man and you get rid of the Blight. No Blight would mean -"

"No deamons. Which in return would mean the loss of most of their weapons for Nifelheim," Noctis finished for her. He nodded.

"That would have made everything so much easier. But how would we go on about destroying the Starscourge? The last time I heard of it, an Oracle could take it into herself. I will not have Luna dying for any insane plan you may have concocted." Shiva laughed.

"I would not dare, your highness," Shiva hummed. "I have become quite fond of you both over the time you've spent here."

Noctis was about to retort something when Luna gave him a disapproving look. As sarcastic as Noctis could be at times, he never dared to direct it towards the present gods whenever Luna was near. Her role as Oracle still prevented her from treating the six with anything else but utmost respect.

"So what is all this talk about? All these ' _what ifs_ ' and ' _would you haves_ '. One would think that you have something in mind, Queen of Ice."

"Maybe I have," Shiva replied meekly, something Noctis knew for a fact was completely and utterly fake.

"And what would this _maybe_ imply for us?" The toothy smile was back now, a hungry shark having taken sight of its prey.

"Maybe I have found a way to send you back. Call it...a favour for a favour."

Luna looked at the goddess with sharp eyes. Owing a god a favour never was to be taken lightly.

"What would this favour imply?" Luna asked. Shiva rose from her position behind Noctis, drawing herself to her full height.

"We have grown dissatisfied with the fates of the fallen Oracle and the last king of Lucis. Humanity is dying and with their numbers dwindling, so does our strength that we channel out of the belief of man." Luna narrowed her eyes and Noctis braced for impact. An angry Luna still brought a very own sort of fear into his heart.

"And what is the _real_ reason, Glacian?" Shiva lost her smile and the room's temperature plummeted. Everything around them frosted over, from the large throne to the flower crown still atop of Noctis' head. Luna rose to her feet, too.

"The real reason is that the worlds are nearing their time. Soon, the realms will fall into disarray beyond redemption and time will end. Everything will, once more, be reborn and the order will change. Bahamut has decided that he wishes things to remain as they are. He does not wish to lose his place as the strongest of the Six. He's a child that's throwing a tantrum, yet we ultimately have to bow to his will. So we will use what remains of our strength to reverse time. A millennium will be undone and you will live once more, with our blessing and knowledge still within you. We ask of you in return to undo what my Ifrit has caused. Rid the world of the Blight that you call Starscourge, save the Oracle. Once you've completed this task, we will see us as even and you will be allowed to live as you please. You will be allowed to remain with your friends and join them once you decide to follow them into the Afterlife."

"We accept," Luna spoke. Noctis stumbled to his feet, staring at his wife with large eyes filled with both fear and hope alike. Luna threw him a sad smile. He needed this chance, a second chance at the life he'd previously been denied, even if it meant that he may have to leave her behind to do so. She'd be willing to give him this chance, and he'd take it.

"We will both go," Noctis spoke firmly, easily slipping back into his role as King of Insomnia.

Shiva looked at them both for a long while before speaking again.

"We have the power to send one of you back. It was decided that it would be the princeling."

Luna expected Noctis to frown, frustrated at the lack of options, yet she nearly jumped when she saw his eyes, sparkling with mischief and unmistakable _joy_ , directed at her. She saw what he was trying to tell her. After nearly a complete millennium spent in each other's constant company, they no longer needed words to know what the other was thinking. So when Noctis received a warm smile from the Oracle, Noctis grinned and turned back towards the still waiting ice goddess.

"Then, my dear Lady Shiva, I would like to propose a deal."


	2. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Waking up, _truly_ waking up for the first time in centuries, was jarring. More so, when one felt themselves in a body that wasn't aching with every breath, that wasn't _tired_ all the time. Noctis, for the first time in a long time, did not feel the pull of the crystal solely on him. Instead of the leaching feeling, it was more of a humming at the back of his head, giving him a faint headache, but didn't make him feel nauseous and old before his time.

' _Good morning, Noctis. I believe it is time for you to wake up,'_ a voice inside Noctis head laughed and it took him a moment to place it.

"Luna?" he asked and was startled just how _young_ he sounded. The laughter increased.

' _I am here, but maybe you should try not to talk to me out loud. It would make you look rather...curious. I can hear your thoughts just fine, even though some are a bit jumbled. It should be fine once you get used to this situation.'_

"Alright…," Noctis mumbled, elated that Shiva had kept her word and confused at the strangeness of having another soul residing within him.

' _I do believe it is time to wake up, nevertheless. We need to find out just where in time Shiva has placed us.'_ Noctis nodded to himself, crawling out of the temptingly warm and _soft_ bed. The t-shirt had a stain on the seam, he noted, once he stood and stretched to open a window. That in itself already gave Noctis an idea just where in time he'd returned to. His suspicions were proven correct when he opened his bedroom's door into the living room.

' _By the Six! Noctis!'_ screeched the indignant voice of Luna as Noctis laid eyes on the state his apartment was in. ' _How could you allow this mess to become this...this big?'_ Noctis shrugged, eying said mess. He was impressed with his younger self. This wasn't just a mess anymore, this was a _war zone_.

"It never seemed that important, but then again nothing really did back then. I was on my own for the first time, it was something along the lines of rebellion. Dunno what I rebelled against, but...well...you lived with me for nearly a thousand years, you should know by now that I'm not the tidiest person!"

' _Do I ever. Still, we hardly can allow poor Ignis to tidy all of this up. Get to work!'_

"Dear," Noctis tried to reason. "Don't you think we have more important things to do? Like writing out a plan of attack or something like this?"

' _You may get back at me about your plan, once we can see a surface in this mess to write on. Preferably one that isn't sticky.'_

And so Noctis spent his first three hours back in the past, with his friends alive and well, with his _father_ alive and well, cleaning. Luna instructed him on how his washing machine worked (' _Really, Noctis. All the buttons are clearly labeled…'_ ) and what had to go where. In the end, his apartment was nearly as clean as the time he'd first come back to find it cleaned by his Chamberlain. She even made him redo the homework that had been buried underneath a pile of trash on Noctis' desk. Only then was she satisfied with the current state of his life and allowed him to focus on their plan.

' _With me here with you, Noctis, you now not only represent the crown prince, future of Insomnia, but also take the role as current Oracle. You will need to pay attention in what to say, how to act, how to_ move _. People will constantly wait for you to slip up. In such trying times, people need you to be without fault or they'll start doubting. Doubt leads to a hope lost which in turn leads to revolts. With Nifelheim at our doors, we can't risk internal conflicts. But I will teach you what I can and having the blessing of the Six will give us an amazing advantage. Yet with the physical me gone, this also means that our alliance is not possible anymore. No impending marriage. Which also means that the Court of Insomnia will have little motivation to send their crown prince outside the safety of the Wall. We will need to find a new reason to leave, ideally earlier than last time, well before the attack on the crown.'_

"What about acting as mediator? A prince has to learn how to be a diplomat at some point."

' _They would not risk neither your life nor the precarious situation for you learning that craft. Also, they'd never let you leave by yourself or even accompanied by your friends. You'd constantly be surrounded by seasoned diplomats and ambassadors.'_

"Huh...what about taking my role as the new Oracle, then? I mean other than us two and the Six, nobody knows that we already have the blessing of the gods. A pilgrimage across Tenebrae, surrounded by the Oracle's most trusted surely wouldn't be that strange." Luna was quiet for a moment, contemplating his words.

' _It could work if there can be no doubt about your status as Oracle. My mother chose me, and she was chosen by the previous Oracle. Oracles don't just appear out of thin air, and never male ones.'_

"I am certain Shiva...Gentiana...whatever she prefers to be called right now could help us with that."

' _She has little to do with the choosing of an Oracle. But she_ could _name you her champion. A title which would give you the possibility to ascend to Oracle-status, should you achieve the approval of the other gods. Still, it would be frowned upon to see a man chosen for this task. You would be under close scrutiny from both our people and the people of Nifelheim. Shiva could, however, ask Leviathan for help. He has approved and disapproved Oracles in training before. Should we play our cards right, we could make the world believe that Leviathan chose you.'_

"Don't make it sound like it'd be such a surprise. I'd make a great Oracle."

' _You'd be a terrible Oracle! You're lazy, unorganised and forgetful. You're headstrong and trained to make great, changing decisions where an Oracle is there to support the people, not lead them.'_

"Thank you for your confidence in me…," Noctis deadpanned, Luna could hear the amusement this bickering caused in him.

' _Don't misunderstand,'_ she said anyways, because she wanted to clarify. ' _You are a great king. A strong king. A king that puts the need of his people, his friends before himself, choosing an eternity in complete isolation -'_

"Not complete," Noctis interrupted. He heard Luna sigh.

' _But you did not know that I'd be there for you when you chose to accept your fate and battle Ardyn. You were strong, knowing that people needed your sacrifice, that your friends would not survive otherwise. You met your father's blade without hesitation. But everything that made you a good king would make you a bad Oracle, now. Do you understand? If you were to accept this role as Oracle, you'd have to constantly downplay your leading qualities.'_

"You're worried that, if I become Oracle, I can't be king."

' _Yes.'_ Noctis hummed in thought. It was true, the two roles were complimenting each other. Embodying the two roles at once would not be easy. Sacrifices would have to be made on both sides. An Oracle travelled through the land to help people, a King usually stayed at the Capital to be available to his advisors, diplomats, heads of executive parties, Kingsguard and so many more. A king could not constantly travel, whereas it was more or less expected of a good Oracle.

"It will be difficult. We knew that when we accepted the deal. I can't promise that I won't mess up some time during all of this, but I know you're here to guide me where I struggle."

' _Of course I will.'_ her voice was soft, as it always was when Noctis displayed just how much he trusted her.

"For now, I'd still focus on becoming the Oracle. We can worry about the execution of these roles afterwards. Let's think in small steps. If I...well, _when_ I mess up as Oracle, you'll help me and when I mess up in my role as prince, I have Gladio to knock some sense into me...well and Ignis to tell me exactly what I did wrong. Probably with a full presentation, charts and everything to boot." Noctis heard Luna giggle and felt rather accomplished at that.

' _Very well. We will talk to Shiva in the evening. She will want to check on us, whether our sanity is still intact after the merge, anyways. For now, we should get you ready for school.'_

Wait...what? Noctis glanced over his shoulder, towards the kitchen where a clock hung on the wall, displaying the time '6:46'.

"You want to tell me that I woke up at 3 in the morning?!"

' _Half past three, actually. But technically, you didn't really wake up, seeing as you weren't actually asleep. Your soul entered back into this time, merging with your existing one. This process took time, yet you did not sleep. I do not know if you will actually_ have _to sleep. We will have to see about that.'_

"Oh, I'm gonna sleep whether I have to or not. I've missed this."

' _We would save so much time if you wouldn't.'_

"As long as my name is Noctis Lucis Caelum, I will spend at least eight hours per day fast asleep."

' _Is that a challenge?'_ Luna's voice was pleasant, yet Noctis had a schooled ear for the steely undertone that her voice adopted when she was displeased. Noctis knew that, should it turn out that he did not actually need to sleep, he could kiss his pillow goodbye.

' _Again, we will see about that, later. Now off into the shower with you. We will be late, otherwise.'_

Noctis sighed and accepted his fate. He grabbed a fresh set of his old college uniform (and wasn't this just a nostalgia-trip in itself) and shuffled into the shower.

' _I forgot just how adorable you were when you were a teenager. Why couldn't you have stayed this adorable?'_ Lunafreya complained. Noctis simply raised his eyes skyward as if praying to Bahamut to strike him down to save him from this one-sided conversation. He, by now was dressed in his uniform with his hair towelled dry haphazardly, bag packed and phone -

Noctis jerked violently in his seat, nearly toppling off. With hurried steps, he went into his bedroom where he knew he'd set his phone for years every evening to charge overnight. It took him a bit longer to unlock his phone than it had taken him to remember where he'd put it. In the end, it was Luna's birthday that unlocked it, which didn't help cease her giggling.

Prompto had called, Noctis noticed, vehemently ignoring how terribly his hand shook while looking at it. It had been the first proof that he truly was back, that his friends were indeed alive, that he could see them! He nearly dropped the phone twice during the time it took him to type out the simple phrase 'Sorry, just woke up. Talk later?'

' _Forgive me. I have pushed you so much already. This is going to be far more trying for you than for me. Do you think you are ready to meet them?'_

"Absolutely not. Nor will I ever be. But I want…gods, I _need_ to see them. Alive and well and not damaged as physical proof of how badly I fucked up the first time around. I need to see a Prompto that is grinning at me without a haunted look ghosting through his eyes. I need to see an Ignis who isn't traumatised by whatever happened to him in Altissia, need to see him _see._ I need to see Gladio wear another expression than grim bitterness, hear him laugh without mirth. I need to see my father alive and complaining about his leg, need him to talk to me, hear him talk to me, listen to me tell him how much my father means to me, what he's done for me. I want to thank Nyx for all the times he's prevented me from pulling some stupid stunt or from all the consequences of dumb things he saved me whenever he hadn't managed to prevent me from doing something immensely stupid. For saving your life and getting you to safety. I want to thank Cor for being my father's support, his right hand come hell or high water." Noctis had to admit he'd gotten carried away with this one, raking his fingers through his hair until it stuck up in a complete chocobo's nest. For a few long moments, everything was quiet except for Noctis' labored breathing.

' _Noctis,'_ murmured Luna, but Noctis had already thrown his phone, wallet and homework into his bag and proceeded stalking towards the door.

"We need to go," Noctis grumbled as he threw the door shut behind them, locking it twice. "We'll be late."

The words 'to save them all' went left unsaid but Luna knew.

School looked still as drab as he remembered it. Most people were still staring at him like he'd grown a second head, something that didn't help his suddenly plummeted mood. It also didn't help that the first class of the day, according to his timetable, was calculus.

"Noct. Noooooct! _Noctooooo_!" Noctis turned around and was almost bodily lifted off his feet when a blur of yellow and black crashed into him with the force of a freight train. Well, a fairly bony and weak freight train. Still, his ribs were going to bruise, he was certain.

"You're alive!" Prompto yelled with such relief in his voice that, for a moment, Noctis was certain his heart would give out. Did he know? Did he remember? Was he, maybe -

"When you didn't answer the phone, I thought they've kidnapped you, dude! _Talk to you later_? You always call back immediately! Were you being kidnapped? Were you with someone? Oh gosh, you totally were, weren't you? Ignis is gonna murder you!" Prompto started cackling and Noctis sighed, both disappointed and elated. Disappointed that Prompto did in fact _not_ remember and elated that this meant that Prompto really was Prompto again, that he did not suffer from what they'd lived through, elated that Prompto was _alive_.

"Prompto...that's how rumors start," was all he was able to say without his voice cracking. He breathed in deeply a few times to calm himself. Prompto let go of him, jumping upright again.

"See? You're not denying it! You totally were with someone!"  
"Prompto….I wasn't _with_ someone. I was, in fact, asleep." Prompto gave him a horrified look.

"Was...in fact... _dude_! You're spending too much time with Ignis. You're starting to sound like him! You're spending the afternoon with me, that'll bring you back to normal."

Noctis had to resist the urge to smile, because if he did that, Prompto _really_ would think something was wrong.

"'m afraid I'll have to pass, Prompto. I want to talk to my dad, today," Noctis spoke. It wasn't a complete lie, he really _did_ want to talk to his father. That, however, would have to wait until after their conversation with Shiva. Still, Noctis felt something inside him break a little when he saw Prompto's face fall in disappointment. The blond quickly caught himself and was nodding at the crown prince the next second again.

"Alright, I get that. Your old man's pretty busy these days, huh?"

"He's always busy," Noctis sighed. "Not that I can fault him for that. He's trying his best to prevent a war." Noctis wouldn't have thought it possible, but he watched as his already pale friend grew a few shades paler still.

"Huh...is it that bad?" Prompto asked in a hushed voice. He probably had realised that Noctis was telling him more than he should. His question received a lazy shrug.

"Who can really tell? I know things are tense what with Luna captured and used as leverage against both Altissia and us."

"Luna?" Prompto blinked owlishly and received an incredulous scowl in return.

"Luna. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret? My best friend...well, _other_ best friend since childhood? Current Oracle?" _Partner in crime. Wife. Better half. The half with common sense._

Prompto shrugged helplessly.

"Don't know what you mean, dude. For all _I_ know, there hasn't been an Oracle in years." Noctis didn't really know how he felt about this new bit of information. Mostly, he was dreading just how much this time travel business would make things worse in the long run. If there was no Oracle, people everywhere would be desperate for just about anything to give them hope. Be it a male Oracle or a revolt to get rid of the king that hid himself safely behind his wall of light and magic. He needed to speak to his father _now_.

However as it turned out, this talk would have to be postponed to some unknown point in the nearer future. As Cor informed him on the phone during lunch-break (Noctis had tried simply calling his father's number to request meeting up with his old man), his father was busy dealing with both the constant threats from Nifelheim as well as the fact that unusually heavy rain was causing a bunch of problems all around Tenebrae. Floods, ruined crops, an increased amount of strong fiends that only showed their ugly hide during rain, all problems the people wanted their king to find solutions for. Noctis assured Cor, who then asked if everything was alright and whether or not he could help the prince himself, that everything was indeed fine and that he'd merely wanted to check up on his father and not to worry. There was only so much trouble he could cause in school, after all. All the while, Noctis had looked out of the window. It had indeed begun to rain quite heavily and he had to swallow the bile as images from his past life threatened to burst forth.

 _An inhuman screech shattering panes of glass throughout the entire town._

 _People being swallowed up by a gigantic wave, ripping through steel and human flesh alike, like tissue paper._

 _The pain of his wounds paired with the agony of his bleeding heart from watching Luna die._

 _His friends' screams of terror in the distance…_

"Nocto!" he had to suppress a scream as a hand carefully shook his shoulder. He twirled around, hand raised and the sword of his father so very nearly summoned, when he saw Prompto giving him a worried look.

"I've been calling you for like five minutes now, buddy. What's wrong?"

Noctis shook his head. "It's fine, I was miles away. You simply startled me." He watched as his friend's expression grew stormy.

"I know I'm not the brightest star in the sky but don't think that I'm blind enough to miss when my friend isn't acting like himself. Now you better tell me what's up or I swear I'm dragging you home and call Ignis that something's wrong with you."

"I'm fine -"

"You're _not_ fine!" Prompto yelled and the noise in the hallway where they still were standing died instantaneously. Prompto wheeled around and gave the few unfortunate people in the hallway a dirty look. "Get a move on, there's nothing to see here."

Noctis was stunned and ever so slightly afraid of the blond in front of him. It wasn't like him to ever really grow angry. Usually he was either happy or whiney, not furious. Never furious.

"I'm your friend, Noct. Not someone who hangs out with you because you're the prince or whatever, but someone who gives an actual shit. Someone who doesn't like the idea of you keeping secrets that harm you. Have you looked at yourself today? You look like death warmed over. You are jumpy for no apparent reason. This morning when you looked at me, I was worried that for a second you'd keel over."

"It couldn't have been-"

"What? That bad? Well, newsflash for you, it looked just that bad. That look of anguish isn't something I'm going to forget that fast, believe me. So either you tell me what traumatised you so badly or I'm starting to make some calls." For a while, all Noctis heard where Prompto's laboured breathing and the hushed whispers down the hall from curious students. It took a few tries but finally, Noctis found his voice again. "I died."


	3. Chapter 2 - The Chaos of a Fresh Start

_Thank you for showing such interest in my story! I must say, I didn't really expect that. Thank you as well for leaving such lovely reviews. To the ones worried about the pace of this story being a little slow, I can reassure you. Once Noctis and Luna sorted out the mess of being thrown back in time, the pace will pick up. Think of it as returning to a game that you haven't played in a while and discovering that your last save was right before a boss-battle. It would take you a while to get your bearings back and figure out what exactly which button does again. If said boss then simply doesn't play by the rules and starts throwing things at you the guide-book never even mentioned, you're in for a bad time..._

* * *

' _Noctis!'_ Luna hissed sharply.

"...What?" Prompto's bravado sizzled out like a flame in this pelting rain outside.

' _I hope you know what you're doing,'_ the former Oracle spoke. Noctis silently hoped so, too.

"I've been having dreams for a while now. Bad ones," he began, spinning little white lies like a tightrope with which to balance over the truth.

"Like the ones you had after the deamons attacked you?" Prompto asked, his voice now nothing more than a whisper. He probably knew that the fact Noctis had told him about the nightmares back then was just as unusual as him telling him now. To Prompto, it was a sign just how much Noctis trusted him and the reason why Noctis felt so bad for trying to fool his friend. But by the Astrals, wasn't there some truth in his words. How long had he dreamed about the events after the fall of Insomnia, had woken up screaming even after he'd fulfilled his destiny? Not even death had been able to fully take the dreams away from him. And while Luna's presence had certainly helped him keep his sanity from becoming ass unstable as Ardyn, even she hadn't been able to fully keep the darkness away.

"Worse," he finally said because Prompto expected some clarification. "They're all different. Sometimes it's nothing too bad, but sometimes they terrify me." Prompto had grown pale again.

"And you die in them?" he asked. Noctis shrugged.

"Sometimes." _Always._

"Noctis…," Prompto breathed and Noctis flinched as if struck when he heard his friend's voice break slightly in his distress. Distress had not been what Noctis had had in mind with his string of lies. Sure, he'd wanted to distract Prompto, give him something to think and maybe worry about so he wouldn't start asking questions Noctis couldn't answer, but he didn't want to actually scare his poor blond friend. So, naturally, acting as the competent leader Noctis had been trained to be, he started to panic, his sentences forming in shorter, faster intervals.

"I had a pretty bad one yesterday, I admit," he said. "The worst one yet. But I'll be fine. In fact, forget I even said anything." Noctis heard Luna groan and immediately realised that it apparently had been the one thing he shouldn't have said. Again. He really was putting his foot in his mouth a lot today. The fire was back in the blond's eyes and Prompto disappeared down the hall as if Ifrit himself was after him. A few seconds later, probably having broken every school record for the fastest sprint through the building, Prompto was back, two bags slung over his shoulder.

"We're skipping the rest of the day," Prompto said with a finality that Noctis usually only had heard from Gladio. Or a very angry Lunafreya. Naturally, he didn't dare disagree. And so Noctis found himself in front of his apartment door, about three hours before he should have been scheduled to finish school for the day. Prompto had been typing away on his phone for the last twenty minutes, his mood steadily growing worse again when they'd discovered that the trains were out for the day, the rain having caused too much trouble with the electricity lines.

Having had been forced to continue on foot, a trip that should have taken fifteen minutes turned into nearly an hour long hike through the rain. They'd left puddles in the hallway, when they finally arrived at his apartment, which Noctis was sure the landlord would complain about later. Right now though, he didn't care. He simply wanted to change out of his soaked clothes. Noctis opened the door with fingers nearly stiff from the cold, only to realise that someone had been there. The lights were on and he heard the faint sound of footsteps on carpet over the hum of electricity. Noctis resisted the urge to draw his weapons, partly because Prompto would want to know _just since when_ he could pull blades out of thin air, but mainly because most of the royal arms were too large to wield inside without taking someone's head off by accident. Still, his stance became tense and ready for a possible attack.

And then the door to his bedroom opened and Ignis entered back into the living room, mop and bucket in hand and Noctis had to suppress wheezing out in shock because he wasn't prepared to see _two_ of his friends in one day. It took Noctis everything in his power to not simply turn on his heel and sprint outside where he could deal with this emotional overload in peace. The sharp intake of breath still sounded too much of an anguished sob in his ears, and Noctis mentally prayed that it would go by unnoticed.

Apparently the Astrals weren't in his favour today since the noise drew the attention of his Chamberlain. Bespectacled green eyes focused on blue and Noctis _ran._

He ran until he was back outside, the rain soaking through his already damp clothing. He was cold but Noctis did not care all too much, to tell the truth. He'd been feeling chilly the moment he'd woken up. Right now, it was the thing that kept him grounded and helped to calm down his racing heart.

' _Noctis. Are you well?'_ Noctis scoffed, dropping down the stairs to sit on them, uncaring if they were wet and cold and terribly uncomfortable to sit on.

"Do I look well?" he finally asked back, the venom in his voice lessening towards the end. He was angry with himself, not with Luna.

' _You look like someone who's slowly realising just how traumatised he is.'_ came Luna's reply, as light and comforting as if Noctis hadn't just snapped at her like an angry Adamantoise. ' _Not that anyone could blame you with the events that shaped your first life. If I may tell you the truth, I am actually amazed just how well you handled the events up to this point, all things considered.'_

"You mean up till the point where I ran away from the mere sight of Ignis?"

' _And probably traumatised your poor, poor Chamberlain, now that I think about it. Or at the very least distressed him with your action. He's probably talking to Prompto and discussing your mental stability as we speak.'_

"What mental stability?"

' _Noctis, we've talked about this. I do not like that you talk badly about yourself like this. You are a remarkable person that stared into the abyss of insanity unflinchingly. Yes, you did not come out of the situation unscarred, yet weaker men would have come out of the situation in the first place. So there is no need for such misery and self-pity.'_

"Easy for you to say. You didn't just have a mental breakdown in front of your friends."

' _You did not break down. You felt overwhelmed and took action to avoid said breakdown. Actually, this most likely was the smartest decision you could have made. You did well'_ Now Luna was repeating herself, but hearing her reassurance eased some of the anxiety that still squeezed down on his heart, making his chest hurt and his breathing difficult.

"I don't feel like I did well. I _feel_ like I fucked up everything the moment I arrived here. I'm just not ready to relive everything over again. What if I fuck up and the events of Altissia, Niflheim and whatnot all simply repeat? What if I actually make it worse? I don't think I'd be able to deal with -"

' _Noctis!'_ Luna interrupted sharply and Noctis flinched, expecting a sharper reprimand for falling back into doubt and self-pity. It was only when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps that echoed down the stairs of the apartment complex that he understood why Luna had stopped him. The sound grew steadily louder as it moved towards him until Ignis _burst_ through the front door of the building and Luna's words were proven right. Ignis _did_ look worried. Then again, who could blame him, had his charge suddenly hightailed out of his on apartment at the mere sight of him. Ignis looked around frantically and Noctis watched in amusement, and ever so faint guilt, how his shoulders dropped as the tension left his body, once be saw the prince sitting on the steps of the building's entrance.

"You left your window open," was the first thing Ignis said and Noctis wanted to burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. All that came out, however, was a wry chuckle. "I'm afraid the carpet in your bedroom has suffered some rather impressive water-damage. I am uncertain if it is salvageable." Noctis shook his head out of both irritation and fondness for the nonchalant way the taller man tried to defuse the tense situation.

"What are you doing outside, specs? You'll catch your death," Noctis asked, his focus on the city around him, mostly swallowed up by thick clouds and dense rain. Ignis sighed and sat down next to Noctis, choosing the option to ignore the prince's silent command to head back inside.

"Well, I'm afraid that after my charge ran out of his apartment, pale as a corpse, I felt the need to check on him. Prompto tells me that you've been acting strangely today." Noctis sighed.

"He's overreacting. I'm fine, just a little tired."

"He also told me that you're having nightmares…" Noctis grumbled something incoherent. "Your highness-"

"Noctis," the prince corrected absentmindedly. Ignis nodded.

"Noctis, it is of utmost importance that you take care of your health. If you need help -"

"I'm _fine,_ Ignis. Really. I'm sure it's just stress or something that's giving me a few restless nights. Summer holidays aren't that far away and then we all can take a break. We could make a short trip somewhere. We haven't been on one for too long." Ignis tilted his head in thought, undoubtedly having noticed that Noctis tried to change the subject.

"If you are certain that that's all there is to this, then I will not pry. However you _do_ know that you can come to us with your problems, yes?"

"Sure, momma Specs." Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that Ignis scowled at the old nickname. He'd never been particularly fond of it, no matter how well it fit.

"Very well, in that case, and seeing as you apparently haven't eaten anything all day, I will tell you now _in loco parentis_ that I've cooked something for you that you _will_ eat. Prompto may stay if he so wishes. I might even turn a blind eye on you two engaging in video games rather than your homework, for today. You may see it as a sort of reward for keeping your apartment tidy. I must admit I was rather surprised when I arrived this noon. I'd half-feared to be buried in laundry and trash as soon as I'd open the door."

' _Ha-haaaa!'_ Luna's sudden victory cry had Noctis flinch in surprise. Ignis' brows creased again and Noctis felt the urge to simply remain seated on these stairs until the rain finally managed to drown him. Thankfully, scowling was all Ignis did and for a while, the two of them sat in soothing silence next to each other in the rain. Then Ignis sneezed and Noctis was only too happy to point out the irony of the situation when they dragged themselves back inside, weighed down by rain-soaked clothes.

Once they'd reached the safety and warmth of Noctis' apartment, Ignis made a beeline for the bathroom. Noctis thought that maybe Ignis went to change into something dryer, it would suit his always over-prepared Chamberlain to have a spare set of clothes with him, yet instead the bespectacled man returned almost immediately and threw a towel at Noctis' head with deadly precision. It seemed that Ignis was angry, after all. Probably due to the fact that Noctis wouldn't tell him what was eating him, the former-king-turned-prince-once-more mused, as he pulled the towel from his head. He'd have to think of something that would placate the Chamberlain, as well as fool all three of his friends in the long run. For now, he simply had to steel himself for giving out half-assed excuses and apologizing a lot.

Prompto was sent home for the evening when the poor boy had nearly nodded off on the couch (with a box of Ignis' food, naturally) and Noctis was sent to warm up in the shower. There was something oddly comforting of being mothered like this again and he didn't even complain when a bowl of garden curry, with vegetables blatantly visible, was placed in front of him by a now once more dry Ignis. While Noctis mentally cackled that his Chamberlain indeed had had another set of clothes on hand, Luna pointed out the deep frown on the older man's face as he watched Noctis eat his vegetables without so much as a whine. He didn't know if he should be feeling better or worse when his friend decided not to comment on this more than unusual behavior. Instead, Ignis asked Noctis to take it easy and go to bed early. He then excused himself for the day, leaving Noctis alone to ponder about whether or not this small mistake just messed up everything.

After a while, Luna decided that there was no real point in worrying, as it wouldn't change anything right now and instead urged Noctis to clean up the dishes and get some sleep and that there would be enough time to worry in the morning. Noctis, however, still felt wide awake, more awake than he'd probably _ever_ felt during his teenage years. So, instead of following the siren-call and bury himself in soft linens and pillows, he decided to hit the books and catch up on anything that could possibly be of use in his quest to save the world. He was certain that the topics would put him to sleep soon enough.

* * *

As things turned out, Noctis did _not_ require to sleep, so the following week blurred into one mess of reading up in current and ancient history, recent reports, and statements of important politicians. He had a lot of reading-up to do, after all.

Ignis, in a fit of parental worry, had called the school and explained that Noctis was in no condition to attend. The official reason was that he'd caught a bad case of the flu, when really, Ignis claimed Noctis' odd behavior was due to stress. And so it came that Noctis had a week of free time at hand where he could read up and formulate a rough battle-plan before school work would swallow him back up.

Twice a day, Ignis would come over to check up on him, cook, do the general household chores (he'd expressly forbidden Noctis to do anything but his homework in order to relax during his week of vacation) and bring over whatever assignments the teachers had chosen for Noctis to make up for the missed classes. With the combined help of Noctis' and Luna's memories, essays and homework-sheets were completed in no time at all. He felt terrible, however, at the praise he'd receive for his sudden dedication. Prompto would occasionally visit to check up in him and to shamelessly use his console to play video games. Gladiolus had yet to show up or even inquire about his health. His training with his Shield, normally two times a week, had been another victim of Ignis' sudden motivation to clear the prince's schedule. Still, Noctis was almost disappointed when his oldest friend didn't even bother to send him a message to check if he was in fact still breathing. But things weren't all bad with Gladio's lack of attention. It gave him a full day on Saturday for preparation. He'd sent Ignis home to have a weekend to himself, something of which his Chamberlain protested loudly against. In the end, however, Ignis caved and reluctantly left Noctis to fend for himself (not before making sure to remind Noctis _several_ times to eat his meals while Ignis was gone). Prompto wouldn't come to visit him either, wanting to spend time with his seldomly seen parents.

Finally, Noctis was alone.

"Luna, can you call Shiva? It's high time we talk to her," Noctis asked, dropping onto his couch that by now had become their research-nest. The piece of furniture was covered in piles of blankets and pillows, while stacks of books, files, and loose papers had been placed around it, just in reach if someone were to look for something particular without wishing to stand up from their seat.

"Why, princeling, you can call me yourself if you so please." Noctis jumped straight back onto his feet, his father's sword in hand when he heard the ice goddess' airy voice whisper behind him. Once Noctis calmed down his racing heart, he turned around to see her standing before him as Gentiana with her dark attire and even darker hair. Her eyes were closed as it was usual for her in this form, yet her smile was always the same smirk of knowing amusement. It reminded Noctis of Ardyn.

"Hello, little princeling. How have you fared back in your own time so far? Are you yet aware of any changes your presence might have caused?"

"Does...did Luna exist in this world before we came here?" Noctis asked. Gentiana...Shiva inclined her head.

"She did, for it _is_ the world you knew, that you lived in. Yet the fact that Luna is now part of you means that any memory of an embodiment of your wife had to be wiped out or we would have had a paradox at our hands. Most troublesome things to get rid of, paradoxes. So people might remember a warm touch, a kind word and the feeling of belonging, yet they will not remember _her_."

' _Not even my brother?'_ Luna asked in distress. Gentiana shook her head.

"Not even him, although he remembers the love and kindness you gave him."

' _Simply not that it was his sister, but some unknown higher being of sorts.'_ It was rare, even for Noctis, to hear Luna's tone being quite this dry.

"Indeed. But I did not come here to discuss the fairness of this change with you. It was a necessity, one that cannot be undone. Still, you are aware that the world is without Oracle and has been for quite some time. Starscourge is spreading throughout the land unhindered and the people are losing hope. They need an Oracle. We cannot wait for you to formulate a plan first. You will be summoned tomorrow come morn and will receive the Leviathan's blessing. He will name you his champion and tell you to begin your training as both Chosen King and Oracle. In a year's time, we will call upon you once more to begin the journey for the blessing of the Six." Noctis frowned.

"Journey? But I've already received your blessings." Gentiana hummed in amusement.

"Of course, as Chosen King you have indeed proven yourself worthy. However as Oracle, you have not. You will travel to the places where you once received our blessings and undergo the trials that will prove a mortal being, such as the one you play pretend as, worthy of calling upon our power."

Noctis gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for going on another field trip halfway across the continent. Gentiana opened her eyes to pierce him with a judging look from vivid green eyes.

"You have more than enough time, little princeling, if you play the cards that have been handed to you, correctly."

"And until you deem it worth to call me, I'm just expected to sit here on my hands, doing _fuck all_?" Noctis hissed angrily. True, it was probably unwise to lose his temper around any of the Six, he knew this as well as Luna who was angrily scolding him right now, but he couldn't be expected to simply wait an entire year for something to happen.

Shiva, however, accepted Noctis' small outburst graciously, eyes once more closed.

" _Until then_ , you're free to gather the allies you need to complete your tasks. Do you wish for me to tell you how you go about doing this as well or will you be able to think for yourself? We do not expect of you to be our mindless slave, for we cannot watch over you all the time. You will find yourself in situations where you will have to figure out for yourself what would be the best course of action. No matter if we would agree or not. It is, after all, what you came here to do. To defeat the Starscourge and change the fate of the worlds. Your every decision should lead to this goal. No matter the consequences to others. No matter who or what you will have to sacrifice, even your friends."

"I came back here to prevent them from suffering!"

"And you will. But if something demands their sacrifice, you cannot hesitate. You will meet them in the afterlife, after everything is over. Isn't this enough? To spend eternity with them there?"

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better about pretty much murdering-" Noctis stopped when he heard a sharp knock rap on his door. Noctis quickly spun back to face Shiva, only to find her already gone. "Shit."

Raking a hand through his hair, he shuffled over to peek through the spyhole of his door, only to flinch back when another set of knocks echoed through the wood.

' _What did you do?'_ Luna asked, sounding amused, her former anger forgotten. ' _He looks angry.'_

"And why would you immediately assume that I did something?" Noctis asked back in as low a voice as he managed, in the hopes that the angry Nyx Ulric outside his door wouldn't hear.


	4. Chapter 3 - Court Room Days

Did you miss me? Cause I sure missed not being able to write but University decided to cripple my progress by asking me to rewrite every single assignment I've handed in because it sounded too similar to another student's work. Well excuse me, but if you give the entire Course the same assignment with the same texts to read, then some assignments _might_ end up with similar results...It's almost like common sense evaporates the moment you're handed your PhD...

* * *

"Are you alright, my boy?" Noctis flinched when a voice spoke up behind him, once he'd closed and locked the door to his apartment. He spun around only to see the woman from the apartment next door peer into the hallway. She was an elderly woman, around her late sixties if Noctis' memory didn't betray him, and always had been kind to him. She'd even made him dinner on occasions when Ignis hadn't been able to make it.

"Why do you ask?" Noctis finally replied to her question when he realised that the woman was expecting an actual answer. She gave him a patient smile.

"There are a lot of scary looking men barging into your apartment, lately. The young man with the glasses from last week was nice enough, but with the man from yesterday, I was about to call the police, Glaive-outfit or no. He looked terrifying. Such anger, I don't know what you did to deserve that, but I thought I'd better go and check if you were still breathing."

Noctis huffled.

 _He watched as Nyx burst through the door the moment Noctis had opened it. With practiced routine the Glaive-member scanned the change of surroundings for possible threats, making sure that there was nobody here to overhear what Nyx probably wanted to tell Noctis this urgently. The former Chosen King and current Crown Prince flinched when Nyx focused his angry look solely on him._

" _It's good to see you, Ulric. Any special reason you're here? There's some coffee brewing if you -"_

" _I was sent here to ask just_ why _the newly elected Chancellor of Niflheim would be interested in an audience with the Prince." Well, straight to the point then...Noctis didn't remember the member of the Glaives to be quite so frank, but he surely wouldn't voice that thought out loud when Nyx' expression already screamed murder. For a moment Noctis was sure that his journey into the past would end then and there. How disappointing. After a life of battling gods and immortal Oracles, he'd be strangled by one of the usually most mellow people of his father's guard._

" _What are you talking about?" Noctis asked, pleased with himself that his voice didn't display any of his unease. Nyx sighed, although it sounded more of a growl in his current mood._

" _I'm asking why Ardyn Izuna is asking for a meeting with you. A_ 'private audience' _as he'd called it. Away from prying ears. Do you have any idea why he'd do such a thing?"_

" _Well, from what I've heard," Noctis said, making sure to keep his opinion of the ancient Oracle based on apparent hearsay only. "Ardyn is rumored to be crazy. Who knows why he's doing anything. But why would an audience necessarily be a bad thing?"_

 _Noctis watched with amazement (and faint amusement) how Nyx's face grew pale, only to flush in anger._

" _Why it would be...Of course it would be bad! Do you have any idea what the royal advisors are currently talking about? There were whispers of treason coming from high-ranking members of the Court. Treason from the King's son! His own son that's apparently all for forging bonds with the Nifs. Now you tell me what exactly would be so bad about that?"_

Noctis shook his head to clear it from the anger the conversation yesterday evening had caused both of them. In the end, Noctis had sent Ulic home with a steely tone in his voice that had the physically older man straighten his posture instinctively, telling him that he'd deal with the situation himself come morn.

"It wasn't anything bad," Noctis assured the elderly lady. "Just some nasty rumors people kept spreading. The guy from yesterday was a...friend who wanted to make sure I was okay."

' _That was nicely put, actually. You might become a good diplomat yet'_ Luna added her five Gil into the conversation, effectively distracting him.

"- really sure, then I suppose I shouldn't keep you from going to school. You'll be late because of me and that would just be a shame. Ignis has been telling me that you were doing so well, lately. You should really keep up the good work."

Wait what? So she knew Ignis by name? Then what guy with glasses had she been talking about just now? He voiced his questions out loud. The elderly woman blinked in confusion.

"Why, he has been coming here a few times over the last few days. He's told me that he was here to clean when you were too busy with school and all that." Now Noctis was worried. There definitely hadn't been anyone _but_ Ignis who would even have the motivation to clean after Noctis' chaotic, lazy self.

"Maybe I just forgot. Did he tell you his name by chance?" Noctis asked, trying to subtly getting her to tell him everything she knew without making her worry too much. He'd learned that from Cor, who told him that once people started worrying too much, they were less likely to reveal too much information as to not get into trouble.

"Why, yes, he did actually. His name was Accius. He looked an awful lot like your friend, the blond one, now that I think about it. A bit more muscle on this one though, your friend really should eat more, and the glasses of course. Does he sound familiar?" Noctis shrugged.

"Not really, but I'll ask Cor if he had anyone come here to clean."

"Cor? Is that the lad from yesterday evening?" Noctis shook his head.

"No, he's a friend of my father's."

"Oh dear, so many names. You'll have to forgive me when I won't be able to remember any of them. I'm afraid my memory simply isn't what it used to be, anymore."

Noctis thought about these new bits of information on his way to school, not there was any point in going. Had something like this happened the first time he lived? He'd found out through pure chance, so it was definitely possible for him to have missed this. Then again, he had people for these kinds of things, that were supposed to make sure his home was safe.

And what was this about some Prompto-lookalike in Insomnia, _in his own apartment_ , for crying out loud. He needed to sit his father and Cor down, in one room, and have a little chat, it seemed.

' _We could always refer to Nyx, dear. He's surprisingly talented in gathering information. And with the way he yelled at you yesterday, he's sure to be eager to make up for the show of disrespect. Then again, with everything that's bound to happen today, it might be best to worry about this particular problem some other time,'_ Luna spoke up and Noctis scoffed.

"There is someone digging through our apartment, maybe on a daily basis, when I was in fact still _in_ said apartment. Of course our neighbor next door would assume that I'd gone to school, as would that snoop, apparently. So how is it that someone can enter the apartment and do whatever in the blazing hells he came to do, without _any_ of us noticing? How can you tell me to worry about that later?" Noctis hissed angrily. The streets were mostly empty due to it being early in the morning, so nobody witnessed the heir to the throne apparently berate himself in such a manner.

' _Because you'll be announced as new Oracle today, and because you'll have to defend yourself against the Court's accusations of treason...or have you forgotten already?'_

"Ah shit." He absolutely had.

It had to be one of the most awkward days in Noctis' existence. And that was saying something, keeping in mind his track-record. Yet never before had he felt such an urge to fidget in unease as he stood in front of his father's throne, surrounded by high ranking individuals of the Royal Countil, being scrutinised as if he were nothing but another one of Niflheim's experiments. He did not like it, reminding him of the things Prompto had told him about his time in Niflheim. He hadn't told Noctis much, most of it apparently too traumatic to share, yet Noctis distinctly remembered Prompto's breakdown as he talked about the days he spent shackled in his cell before Noctis and the other found him. Connecting these memories with the stares he felt now, so similar to the ones that Prompto would have experienced a lifetime ago, caused Noctis' mood to suffer dramatically. It was a miracle that he hadn't summoned Ifrit yet to make good on the favor that devil still owed him.

"Noctis." Almost unconsciously Noctis straightened his posture as his father spoke up, the fury in his eyes softening as he looked at the aging man. "Do you know the reason why we've summoned you today?"

There was an urge to retort with a smartass answer, but this was his father sitting in front of him, very much alive and not hanging from the ceiling as a rotten corpse, so it didn't even require Luna playing his voice of reason to bite back any spiteful comment he could have thought of.

"I can think of many things, actually, why you could have," Noctis retorted, falling into his royal role with practiced ease. "Word reached me yesterday that people were accusing me of treason, something I will put a very definite end to, today. Maybe you've summoned me because of my stress-related episode last week. And maybe it's because the Astrals have decided to make me Oracle-"

"Champion," sounded the voice to his right. Noctis glanced over, eyebrow raised at the reprimanding tone. The man in question was a white-haired man that Noctis faintly remembered seeing back in his father's original Court. He was a bitter man, yet skilled tactician and deeply suspicious of everyone and everything. A shame that Noctis couldn't put a name to that face…

Seeing that he had Noctis' attention, the man now sneered and repeated: "Champion. You're not Oracle yet. If ever." Noctis graced him with a smile that would have made Shiva proud: Bright and beautiful and filled with the promise of agonising pain.

He could almost taste the unease that quickly saturated the air around the unfortunate fool.

"Indeed, I'm not. But I _am_ apparently Champion to the Astrals and I _am_ Crown Prince, so I'd like to know why you think you could address me with such blatant disrespect?"

The man spluttered indignantly. He obviously hadn't expected such a retort. Not that Noctis could really blame him for it. Before the prince had left for Altissia in his first life, he'd cared very little for politics.

"Actually, General Roderick, my son does have a point." Noctis turned his head to look at his father, surprised the man had decided to intervene. Noctis would have expected Regis to wait and see how his son dealt with the situation. "Even if you were to accuse my son of treason, something which I would strongly suggest not to, then I'd still demand that you show him the same respect that you show me." Roderick looked scandalised.

"But, your highness, we have proof that the boy converses with high-ranking members of Niflheim's -"

"This _boy_ outranks you, General. Either you show him respect or I will have to ask you to leave," the king snapped with barely contained irritation. Noctis felt the urge to clap. However he held back, both as to not pick up habits that Ardyn would have displayed and as to not gain the ire of more members of the Council.

"If it helps, I have not actually spoken with this Chancellor Izuna. I only know that he even knows of my existence because a member of the Glaives decided to inform me about Ardyn's request to speak to me. He also told me that he was sent by the council to inquire why I'd talk to Ardyn. Am I correct in assuming that you gave direct orders to Nyx Ulric to spy on me to uncover my dirty little secrets, General, therefore ignoring instances of higher rank than you, including the King himself? Instances that you usually would have been supposed to consult before taking action...No, by all means, you don't need to answer. I am certain that questioning Ulric should provide enough proof to find you guilty of such actions."

"How _dare_ -"

"How I dare?" Noctis asked, tilting his head at the enraged man. His eyes long since had lost the amused spark, replaced with the cold, hard fury of Ifrit-incarnated. "I dare because I am, frankly speaking, sick of being used as a doormat. I am not a tool for you to use to increase your standing with my father. I am Crown Prince and I will hereby inform you that the easy days are over. I will accept the role as Champion and I will finish my training to become Oracle. Furthermore can I assure you that I will not neglect my role as future King. I will start attending the meetings concerning our situation with Niflheim and I ask of you, your Highness, to allow me to give my own input concerning certain matters. I understand that I might act foolish or naive in certain situations, yet I assure you I am willing to learn."

Noctis bowed to his father as a sign of respect, as it was expected of him. When he looked back up he saw that his father had a pleased and almost proud look gleaming in his eyes. The surrounding men appeared to be a bit less pleased.

"My King!" Advisor Tempestas called out. "The Prince is barely sixteen yet. While it is admirable that he suddenly shows such interest, I do not think it wise to include in such delicate matters just yet." Noctis barely managed to conceal his sneer.

"You make it sound like we have the luxury of time," he instead said. "Tell me, General Roderick, how many Niflheim troops are stationed at our borders? How many more have our spies counted back in the Niflheim-bases?"

"We...we haven't positioned any spies within Niflheim..."

"Why ever not?!" Noctis asked, grimacing as his voice broke a little in his honest surprise. Right. He was sixteen. He decided to ignore the embarrassment of the situation and continued on. "Do you think we can win this war with niceties? If we send them gifts and flutter our eyelashes, they'll just up and leave?"

"Do you realise what you're suggesting? If Niflheim catches wind of this, we might as well have written them a formal declaration of war! People crossing the border would never go unnoticed."

"Maybe not. But we already have people within Niflheim that hold certain ranks. Should we play our cards right, we can corrupt Niflheim's system from within."

"Oh, please, your royal highness, share your wisdom with us mortal men," Rodrick sneered. "What makes you think you know more than we do? Men that have trained decades in the art of war and diplomacy."

"General Roderick, I will not have you disrespect my son again," Regis warned the man. Noctis shook his head.

"No, this is fine. I'd rather he says what he actually thinks. To answer your question, there are several people within the Niflheim army that hold important positions, yet originally have been people of Lucis. Take Loqi Tummelt for example. Once an inhabitant of one of the outskirts of Insomnia, he was taken by Niflheim forces during one of the early raids, right under the eyes of Cor Leonis, who'd been unable to save the few children that were victim of said raid. He'd been outnumbered and had to focus on keeping our losses tolerable, even if that meant giving up Loqi and the rest of the children to Niflheim. Loqi harbors a rather impressive hatred against Cor, a weakness that we can exploit. He's a petty child, hellbent on revenge, but he's also highly ambitious and loves intrigues. We could offer him a position of equal or higher standing within our own army, he's capable enough, as well as the position of spy within enemy territory. We could promise compensation for our incapability to keep him safe as a child, as well as either an apology from Cor, or a showdown between him and Loqi, should it come to that. Maybe he'd even accept working under Cor, who knows."

' _My brother,'_ Luna mused after Noctis had finished his rant. He raised an eyebrow, mentally signaling that he was listening. ' _Leave the details to me, but I am certain that my brother would come to your aid. After all, he's vowed to keep me safe back when I was Oracle. Now that I am part of you and we as one are Oracle, Ravus will be drawn to fulfill that promise. Tell them that Ravus will help us, should you request it.'_

"Furthermore," Noctis started once more. "We already have Ravus -"

"Who?" interrupted someone from Noctis' left. The Chosen King sighed dramatically.

"Ravus Nox Fleuret, who's sworn to protect the current Oracle from harm. He is supposed to take the role as the Oracle's shield, very much like Clarus Amicitia is the King's shield and Gladiolus Amicitia is mine. The Astrals will hold him to this promise. He's loyal, strong and intelligent and a force to be reckoned with. He's also infected with the Starscourge like so many others. If not for honoring his vows, then at least desperation will bring him to the side of the current Oracle; or Oracle-in-Training, Champion, however you wish to call it."

"And you know all of his how?" Noctis shrugged.

"I have my sources, and no, I don't mean some supposed alliance within Niflheim. I am Champion and have the honor of asking the Astrals for advice."

"And the Astrals told you to recruit Loqi?" The man that had spoken looked positively ancient. It made Noctis itch to ask if he'd known Ardyn personally during his childhood years.

' _Noctis,'_ Lunafreya warned, although there was amusement in her voice at Noctis' unspoken thoughts. ' _Don't ruin the remarkable impression you just made by showing that you sometimes have the mental age of a teenager.'_

Well, technically he _was_ a teenager. The broken voice he begrudgingly called his own was proof enough of that.

' _Noctis,'_ came another warning and Noctis sighed, pulling himself together. He'd refrain from teasing the relic that called himself a man.

' _Technically, you yourself are a relic. We're older than everyone else on this planet, other than Ardyn. So, really, you're in no position to judge. Now let us wrap this up, so we can talk to your father in private.'_

Wait, what?

' _Noctis! We might be ancient, but we do not have much power yet. Not nearly enough power to change fate, for certain. We need to inform your father of what we've seen will happen, so he can help us. He needs to trust our decisions over what his gut, experience and council would have him do in certain situations. We need him to let us go on the pilgrimage as soon as possible to buy us time and we need to make preparations to prevent the fall of Insomnia.'_

"What is the matter? Can't you tell us? Or are you, by chance conversing with the Astrals, asking how to answer this simple question?" Noctis was brought back to the present, away from Luna's carefully crafted battle-plan, to hear the old man sneer at him. Concentrating, he drew from the well of magic deep inside of him to summon one of the Royal Arms. Yet as the pommel of Scepter of the Pious hit the floor with an almighty crash, it wasn't Noctis that wielded it. Regis patience had worn thin, it seemed. Scepter in hand, he turned to cast his eyes over the men present.

"Today has shown me, that maybe I haven't chosen the men of this Council with as much care as I've previously thought. If grown men are not capable to deal with the antics of a single teenager, then I fear for Insomnia's future. You all will hereby be suspended from your duties and everything your current position entails, benefits included. For the duration of your suspension, the Citadel will be off limits to you, as is my son's apartment, if you think about petty revenge for an imaginary slight. The suspension will last for a fortnight, until I reevaluate who is suited for the position as council-member; and who is not. This also counts for those of the Council not present for this session. You are dismissed."

At least they had the foresight not to try and argue. With tails tucked between their legs, the members of the Council left the throne room. Soon, it was only Noctis, Regis and the guards. With a wave of his hand, the latter left as well. As soon as the heavy doors fell shut behind them, Regis dismissed the Royal Arm and leaned heavily against the armrest of the throne.

"You did remarkably well, facing the council members during an actual, official meeting. I know I remember my first time facing the Council. It wasn't nearly as...dignified." Regis swiped a hand over his tired face, sighing heavily. He looked so tired. Within a heartbeat, Noctis warped to his father's side, effectively ignoring having to climb the stairs. Regis jumped a bit, raising an eyebrow at his sheepishly smiling son.

"What did you even attune to this time to get up here?" he asked.

Noctis was briefly reminded of the time back when he _originally_ had been fifteen and had just begun his warping-training. Caught in a tidal wave of sudden motivation, Noctis had begun to attune to every single piece of cutlery within the Citadel, driving the staff up the walls in frustration. In the end, Regis had banned Noctis from using anything to warp other than his training-sword. Naturally, that hadn't stopped Noctis at all.

"Your ring, of course," Noctis replied with a grin. "You can't expect me to _walk_ all of these stairs."

"You could have stayed down where you were. You know, where people that have been summoned are expected to stand." Noctis shrugged.

"The council members have gone and you wouldn't have dismissed the guards if you didn't want to talk to me. You know, father to son." Regis gave a tired chuckle.

"You're starting to sound a lot like your mother. She had a smart answer to everything as well…" He trailed off, staring ahead of him, a blank look on his face. No matter how much time had passed since the last time Noctis talked to his father, he'd always recognise it as the look on his father's face that told him Regis was reminiscing. During these moments, he'd think of his wife, the time before Noctis' accident, the time before Niflheim became an actual threat.

' _Should we give him a moment? He looks like he needs it.'_ Noctis sighed, nodding at Luna's question and took a seat on the floor, right next to his father's legs, Noctis' back leaning against the armrest of the throne.

' _Are you well, Noctis?'_ sounded the soft voice of Luna after a few moments. He sighed. Sitting near his father was calming. He felt more at peace than he had in a very long time. Sitting here with everyone alive and well, he felt like he could relax for a moment, while time stood still. The warm light of autumn filtered through the large arched windows, filling the room with blissful warmth. For a moment, Noctis bent his face to meet the warm rays, realising just how cold his bones felt.

He jumped, halting his thoughts when he felt a familiar hand rake through the crow's nest Noctis had called hairstyle at that age, wincing as an equally familiar ring snagged on a few of his strands.

"Sorry, son." Noctis had a feeling that Regis wasn't just talking about Noctis' hair.

"I'm sure I'll live," was Noctis' reply and he winced as Lunafreya made a choked, nearly pained sound somewhere inside his skull. Suddenly, the warmth of the light seemed barely enough to keep him from shivering.

"Possibly. But will you be _alright_?" Noctis shrugged at the question.

"I don't know...I mean what with Ignis hovering around me at literally all times and Gladio trying to more or less kill me with practice to make sure I perform adequately, I'm pretty sure I have no other choice _but_ to be alright." Regis hummed in thought, still combing his hand through Noctis' hair in a calming gesture.

"Yes, they will keep you safe even if all else fails. Still...you said that it was Ulric that came to you to inform you of their plan?"

"Well...inform might not be quite what he did...he mainly screamed into my face to be careful," Noctis deadpanned. Regis chuckled at his son's dry words.

"I knew that, when Cor came to me with a smug smile and the reports about the new recruits, that Ulric was going to prove himself as irreplaceable. And it would seem that I was right...for once. But I suppose it's good that at least a few people still put their trust in the crown. Much unlike the Council; I'm certain that at least one of them will try something stupid." Regis paused for a long while and Noctis was unsure whether he should speak up or not. Finally, before he could gather his thoughts, Regis gathered his'.

"I will assign someone as your guard, to keep an eye on you on all times."

"But Ignis -"

"Ignis can't keep a sharp eye on you all the time, nor is he suitably trained to be your sole bodyguard. Your Shield and he would be too few people to handle such a straining responsibility...Guards!" Regis called out and immediately, the heavy set of doors was flung open and members of the Guard stormed the room, searching it for a possible threat. Regis waved off their concern.

"If one of you would fetch Cor and Clarus for me, please. Tell them to drop whatever they are doing right now, this is important." The Guards, trained to be ever dutiful, bowed and scurried back out of the hall, even going so far as to close the doors behind them again. Noctis arched a brow. Usually, they weren't _that_ considerate. Craning his head, Noctis looked toward his father, throwing the questioning look at him. Regis looked amused.

"Now," the old king began, looking down fondly at Noctis, "do you want to tell me what's really happened during the last days or will you leave an old man to wonder just why his son became a completely different man over night."

"What -"

"Noctis, don't insult me now. I might be an old bumbling fool, but I'm still your father. A parent knows their child and they know when something is different. Your sudden interest in precarious diplomatic issues, the experience in spotting and exploiting an enemy's weak points, information about the inner workings if Niflheim, _detailed_ information at that. Son, you were vicious…"

"I was not!" Noctis defended himself. "They were the ones that were in the wrong and just assumed that they knew everything..," Noctis was about to go into a full-blown tirade on just why the members of his father's Court were imbeciles when he noticed the expression on the older man's face.

' _It would appear that we've been had. The old You wouldn't have even started to rant about...well...anything, really. You hardly cared about anything other than your friends, fishing or sleeping…'_

Well...that probably was true. Noctis remembered that, despite the fact that his schedule always had been crammed full, he rarely did something actually productive with his time, intent on getting as much sleep as humanly possible. His father had often offered for Noctis to join him during these political gatherings to observe and learn, yet Noctis had always refused. The rapid change in Noctis and his sudden capability seemed all the more prominent now.

Noctis sighed. Now what to do? He could hardly tell his father that he'd returned from the dead, a millennium older and a little bit more wise than before.

"You don't have to be worried about my reaction, son." Regis mused. "I doubt there is anything that you could have done that might actually disappoint me. You might not be the most invested in all of this, but your intentions were always the right ones."

An idea struck Noctis.

"I've...been visiting the crystal." Locked away in the deepest parts of the Citadel, Noctis remembered having been asked by his father time and time again to not go and look for it. Yet memories of that magic, sentient stone also brought painful memories with it. Ten years worth of complete darkness, isolation and searing pain as its magic burned at his skin like radiation, eating away at his sanity as Noctis tried not to drown in it. Unconsciously, Noctis shivered, yet he marched on with his thoughts, intent on getting results this time around. "I know you've told me to stay away from it. But...I don't know. One moment I'm standing in one place and the next moment, I'm in the darkness, hand outstretched and touching it. It's gonna sound ridiculous, but I've literally _heard_ it beckoning."

"What happened then?" Regis asked, his voice decidedly more worried now. His hand had once more found its way atop of Noctis head, combing through the already messy hair. Noctis wasn't quite sure who his father was attempting to calm with this gesture now; himself or his son…

"The next thing I know is that I...see things. Things that were, things that might come to pass eventually. I felt them happening, saw places I've _definitely_ not been before...and then I was back, lying in my bed with what felt like years-worth of information running through my head and my magic - well, the Crystals magic, really - going haywire…"

Noctis wasn't quite sure what had been a lie and what had been memory, when he'd said that. The events before and after he'd been absorbed by the Crystal may have happened centuries ago, yet the memories were as fresh as the moment they'd happened.

"The next time I close my eyes, trying to make sense of everything insight my head, Shiva is standing in front of me, telling me of becoming the next Oracle."

"It sounds like you had an...eventful couple of days. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, son."

"It's hardly your fault!" Noctis immediately rejected the apology. "You might do a good job at pretending to be omniscient, but fact is: You're not. There is no way you -"

"I should have sensed a change, the moment your hand touched the Crystal. But I did not. I _did_ however sense the change within your own magic, something I dismissed as yet another thing that puberty does to one's body. Dismissing something that concerns you is something I shouldn't have done and that's why I'm apologising. Allow me so much peace of mind, at least. Please."

Noctis sighed, the feeling of guilt gnawing on his insides. "You're forgiven," he mumbled after a few moments. A few minutes passed like this, where neither of them spoke a word, too busy with sorting out their own thoughts to form an articulate sentence. Then, without so much as a knock, the door to the throne room swung open and Cor stepped inside, followed by Clarus Amicitia, Gladiolus' father. It was then that Noctis realised that this hadn't been a full gathering of the Council, that Noctis had just witnessed. And it slowly dawned on him just who he'd subconsciously been looking for amongst all these unfriendly faces: Titus Drautos aka General Glauca.


	5. Chapter 4 - Change

I'm back and have to admit something: This chapter has been sitting on my computer for _ages_. It was finished and I was quite happy with it, yet as I'm still unsure of the exact pacing of the story (some of you have complained about it being too slow and that they didn't care for the politics), I don't exactly know if the next few chapters are good as they are right now. This story relies heavily on politics and pacing will remain slow for a while. After all, Noctis would want to ensure that his father wasn't simply killed yet again as soon as he left Insomnia. Yet I do appreciate your reviews so far and if you think the story should progress faster and with less detail, I'll try and change the chapters accordingly.

Alternative title of this chapter: Throw Patience out the Window

* * *

Oh, that could have been bad! Noctis knew that he'd only scanned the faces of the Council out of habit, had unconsciously looked for Drautos because he'd thought him creepy as a child. Back then, when Noctis had been little more than ten years old, he'd made it a habit of always knowing just where in the room the man with these cold, angry eyes stood; a habit that he'd never quite shaken off, apparently. Had Drautos actually been present….Noctis didn't want to think about it. He just knew it could have gotten really ugly, really quickly…

'It still could get ugly, love,' Luna was quick to remind him. 'Undoubtedly everyone not present for this meeting will receive a report of just what transpired. The ones that were present will also be eager to talk about your newly-found confidence. Drautos will be informed about everything that was said by the end of the day, if not sooner.'

The noise Noctis made was very much like the one a wounded animal might produce. His hair stood on end and by the feeling of electricity rippling through him he knew his eyes must be glowing with the presence of Ramuh. A presence that his father felt as well, if the way his spine straightened was any indication.

"Son?" Noctis swallowed, his throat uncomfortably tight all of a sudden.

"Sorry...I just...remembered something."

"Anything I should know about?"

"Yea, probably."

"Something the crystal showed you?" Noctis wheezed, trying to get sufficient air into his lungs to answer. The more morbid part of his brain wondered, meanwhile, whether he actually still needed air to survive or if he'd simply drop unconscious any second now. Finally, with a painful cough, the pressure on his lungs eased a bit.

"Sort of. It's about Drautos. I think I've fucked up a bit…"

"Son, I know I sound like a particularly old man right now when I remind you to please mind your language, but in the light of recent events and your new status as Champion...just...please mind your language."

"You are right, you do sound old when you talk like that. Let the poor boy curse if he wants to." Cor had climbed the stairs three steps at a time and now had the audacity to look not even the slightest bit winded. Clarus at least had the decency to take a few quick breaths after finishing his ascent.

"You requested our presence, your highness?" Cor snorted at the tone Clarus' voice had adopted.

"Oh, it's your highness now, is it?" he mocked. Clarus merely gave the swordsman a disdainful look that was betrayed by the twitching of his own mouth, obviously fighting not to smile.

"Well, he already fired his entire Council today, you can't really fault me for trying to keep my job"

"If you two are quite finished," Regis interjected and the two men straightened almost unconsciously into a proper stance, "I'd like to get on with this. There is much to discuss, a lot that needs our immediate attention. I've already informed you two about Noctis having been announced as next Oracle. Now, there have appeared a few more complications."

Clarus sighed, throwing Noctis a fond, but tired look.

"You couldn't just have gone through puberty like a normal person, could you? Normally, parents have to worry about their kid trying drugs or taking the car without permission, not about their child becoming the next new Astral Being."

"Sorry?" Noctis tried. Clarus just shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Noct. You'll get my psychiatrist's bill in the mail."

Noctis raised an eyebrow at the banter.

"I don't think my allowance covers your medical bills." Cor snorted.

"I'm sure they don't, but then again, the entirety of Insomnia couldn't pay for Clarus' mental health."

"Most likely," Regis interrupted once again, yet still with a clear hint of fondness in his tone. "Still, my son informed me that the Crystal granted him a vision and what he saw apparently wasn't at all positive. But more about that in a second. We first have to discuss how to deal with the repercussions of the recent actions."

"You mean you firing our entire Council at the drop of a hat?" Regis sent Cor a withering stare.

"Yes. I mean the dismissal of my Council. People will try to vent their anger on Noctis, undoubtedly, seeing as he's the easier target out of the two of us. We will have to -"

"Ignis and my son should be able to handle the situation," Clarus interrupted. Apparently the idea that Regis thought that Gladiolus might need help protecting the Crown Prince didn't sit well with him.

"Noctis will be under supervision all day. I want someone inside the apartment at all times."

"Preferably someone that isn't some creepy stalker," Noctis mumbled under his breath to Luna. And while it had the desired effect of making Luna laugh, it also caused everything around him to become terribly quiet. When Noctis looked up from his comfortable position on the floor next to his father's leg, he saw that the men around him had fallen silent. Cor had adopted a particularly impressive expression that, had it been directed at Noctis, would have actually intimidated the ancient king. When Noctis craned his head over his shoulder to see his father, he saw that while Cor's expression promised a slow and painful demise to the unlucky fool that had snuck into Noctis' apartment, Regis had grown still and unreadable.

"Since when do you know of this stalker, as you've called it?" Cor asked. Noctis shrugged.

"I don't know since when the guy steals into my apartment," Noctis was interrupted by small but fairly distressed noises reaching his ears. "but my neighbor told me about it this morning. She thought it was one of my friends, apparently the guy looks a bit like Prompto but bigger. And with glasses. I actually told her that I'd ask you, Cor, whether you'd hired someone new to keep an eye on the apartment, just to calm her down."

"So you do listen sometimes," Cor mused before turning to Regis. "I'll inform Drautos that I require two of his-"

"No!" Noctis interrupted. The men turned their attention back to him. "I mean, Drautos can't know."

"And why is that?" asked Clarus. Noctis blinked owlishly at the man, unsure how to explain that he'd entrusted Drautos with his father's life, only for the head of the Kingsglaive to quite literally stab him in the back. He didn't know if it would be very wise to tell them that, while it hadn't actually happened yet, Noctis wanted to see Drautos die a messy and painful death.

"Noctis, you can tell us. Nothing that you say will leave these halls. You will be safe."

Noctis suppressed the urge to laugh. It wasn't his safety he was particularly worried about.

"I know Drautos is the spy your Council accused me to be today. I know that he's under direct orders of Niflheim, though they know him as General Glauca. You can look through his things, you should find plenty of mails that will seem dubious enough, although I doubt that he's quite stupid enough to leave anything seriously incriminating behind."

"Is that what you've seen; what the crystal has shown you?"

"Oh, you don't want to know just what I've seen. I'm summarising. Drautos is Glauca, here to betray us as soon as Niflheim is through the shield."

"Nothing can penetrate the shield," Clarus said indignantly. "As long as the king lives."

"I'm aware, Clarus!" Noctis snapped, jumping to his feet. Silence fell once more as the last of Noctis' words echoed through the spacious room. "Believe me, Clarus, I've listened to the lectures you all gave me and contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid."

"Nobody thinks you're stupid, Noctis," Regis tried to placate.

"Well, apparently they do, if I'm told things that every child knows by heart. The Shield remains strong as long as the blood of Lucis persists. I know that. And I know what it means to see the Shield fall. To see Insomnia overrun by deamons. Why do you think I'm suddenly so interested in politics? I'm going to singlehandedly corrupt and destroy Niflheim's political infrastructure if necessary. Everything the crystal has shown me, everything I've seen will not come to pass as long as I -"

"Noctis, calm down. We are not your enemies here. Tell us exactly what you've seen inside the crystal."

Noctis breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down and prevent himself from accidentally summoning one of the Astrals, after all.

"I've seen Insomnia negotiating with Niflheim, Glauca stabbing the king in the back and Insomnia overrun by deamons. I've seen everyone dead and the world swallowed in darkness. I've seen one of my best friends blinded and traumatised and myself too incompetent to act upon it. A jester on a bloodstained throne and his puppets, strangled on their own strings, dangling above our heads."

'You are aware that you just doomed yourself to a year of constant therapy?'

They needed to know though, Noctis thought, or they'd never get anywhere.

"If any of this is true and you've really seen all these things happening...we would need to act immediately. A spy in our midst and holding such an important position at that…," Cor sighed heavily, raking a hand over his short, bristly hair. "Something like that could have devastating results during an attempted coup d'état...or even during a simple negotiation, as you said."

"Noctis," his father finally mused, the first thing he'd spoken in quite a while, Noctis now noticed. "Do you swear that all of these things you said are true and you've seen them happen through the crystal?" Had he been any younger, Noctis knew that he would have been offended at the notion of his father accusing him of being a liar. But as it happened, Noctis wasn't young and naive anymore and he realised that his father had to ask, had to make sure before acting. Accusations such as high treason were by no means to be taken lightly; on neither side of the accusation.

So instead of throwing a fit like the moody teenager he was supposed to be, Noctis nodded.

"I swear that I've told you the truth about what I've seen and that I've acted, to the best of my knowledge, in the best interest of Insomnia by telling you." His father nodded, although the worry never left his tired blue eyes. Cor simply used the moment of silence to step forward, back straight and a hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Asking for permission to apprehend the traitor, my king?" While Clarus gave Cor an unamused look for being an absolute hypocrite, Regis just bowed his head.

"You have it. Have two of your most trusted men search through Drautos' possessions. His mail, his phone, his computer, I want everything looked through with a critical eye. Tell them that this is of the highest priority and failure to find anything could have dire consequences for Insomnia. Clarus!"

"Yes, my king?"

"Tell someone to shadow my son's apartment. I want everyone entering and leaving his floor accounted for, as well as the apartments directly below or above it. Both of you will also go through the members of the Kingsglaive, choosing two of your most trusted, and most competent to be assigned the task of joining Noctis' personal Kingsguard. Permanently. He will need all the trustworthy people he can get at his back when the time comes for him to become the new Oracle."

With nearly synchronized bows, Cor and Clarus left the throne room, leaving the doors wide open in their wake. Noctis watched as his father raised an eyebrow.

"You have them rather worried, I see. Clarus at the very least usually closes the doors on his way out. I'd almost feel sorry for Drautos...alas, I only worry about the state I'll find him in, once he's brought before me. Cor will probably see to it that Drautos tries to flee, just to be able to give chase. Cor can be scary like that, at times...still, you did well today, Noctis. I can't imagine retelling events like these to be easy."

'Did I ever mention that your father deserves an award for excellent parenting?'

'You did not,' Noctis mentally mused, 'but I agree. He may not always have done the right thing but he always tried to do what's best for me. I think he always did that, but truly became fixated on keeping me safe when the daemon attacked me. The Spirit of the Crystal telling him that I was the Chosen King, the one to die by my father's sword to defeat the darkness...I think that was too much for him. All he wanted for me was to be alive and happy.'

'And we will see to it that we can fulfill his wish, this time around. We will bring an end to the Darkness and you live to see the pride in his 'll see to that.'

'Not just me. This time I want all to live; I want to save as many as possible.'

* * *

As it turned out, saving everyone wasn't nearly as easy as Noctis might have thought. While Drautos was quickly apprehended, he'd had enough time to send word to Niflheim about Noctis' newly found political prowess, as well as his plan to make Loqi and Ravus spies within the Niflheim troops. Unsure just how far Noctis had gotten with his plans, Niflheim found itself backed further into a problematic situation than it might have liked. Within a week, word reached Insomnia that Niflheim had publicly executed Loqi, with no remorse on the political and military repercussions that such an action might bring. Niflheim made it clear that it had more than enough able manpower for a single man to be easily replaceable the moment they drew the ire of Iedolas.

The only good thing about the whole situation was that it forced Cor and Clarus to finally settle on the two Glaives that would be responsible for protecting Noctis alongside Gladiolus and Ignis. Nyx Ulric had been chosen by Noctis himself, a request that his father immediately granted, probably thinking that this was part of Noctis' grand plan-in-the-making, when in reality it had been a favor for Luna. She didn't want to see someone that had once saved her life fall in the battle for Insomnia all over again. Nyx had agreed on this new position almost immediately, especially once he knew that he wouldn't simply abandon his best friend and fellow Kingsglaive member. Libertus Ostium, his childhood friend had taken up the role as new Captain of the Glaive, training under Cor until he would be able to manage to deal with the responsibilities on his own.

The other member of the Glaive that had been chosen to become part of Noctis guard, was Crowe Altius, a quirky young woman with an immense talent for magic, surpassing even Noctis in the field with that combined package of talent and motivation to prove herself. To be honest, there were times Noctis was almost scared of her, when she cast spells that wove through rows of training-dummies without so much as touching them before exploding in a fiery ball of death on the target. He'd sent a video of it to Prompto, along with the words not to worry about him and that, no, he wasn't dead, nor had he forgotten his blond friend but that he might require saving from this madwoman some time soon.

Prompto's reaction was both immediate and to be expected: Proclaiming his undying love for Noctis' new Guard. Amused, Noctis had handed the phone to Crowe, who'd laughed and given the phone over to Nyx who, after asking for permission from Noctis, typed a reply to Prompto that he in fact felt quite flattered at the confession but unfortunately, Prompto wasn't at all his type.

The banter helped to ease the anxiety Noctis felt about not being able to leave the Citadel anymore. The reports of the Glaive members stationed stated that they'd seen multiple people on Noctis' floor, either tenants with apartments on the floor, visiting relatives or workers, there to fix some of the multiple issues inside the building. The only consistent visitor of the floor without their own apartment had been, according to the reports, the person Noctis had told them about. Yet no matter how much they dug, the Prompto-lookalike remained a John Doe with no actual information to his person. Yet so far, the person had been clever enough not to enter Noctis apartment anymore and they couldn't simply arrest a civilian for mere loitering, no matter what nuisance as he was.

That, combined with the events of Loqi's execution, gave Regis enough reason to permanently pull Noctis from school without remorse, even going so far as to put the young prince under house-arrest until the situation was less of a safety hazard both to his mental and Noctis' actual health. And so it became Prompto's duty to keep track of the syllabus of each class and bring Noctis worksheets, test papers and homework twice a week. Ignis then would go over everything with the two boys, making sure both of them understood the content. While Noctis was amused at how serious his friend took the task of teaching the future of Insomnia everything he could, it was terribly frustrating not to simply throw his poor Chamberlain for a loop, each time it was time for a test. With the combined forces of both his ancient knowledge and Luna's neverending wisdom, they were more than capable to fulfill the high expectations of their Chamberlain. Yet with the danger of word getting out to Niflheim yet again that Noctis was apparently more of a danger than previously evaluated, both Noctis and Luna decided that it would be the best to play the normal, only partially-motivated teenage-prince, doing well enough for Regis to be satisfied with the results (not Ignis though, as his Chamberlain only ever was truly satisfied with perfection, no matter the task), yet not well enough for anyone to question his sudden knowledge of the history of Lucis.

It was during one of these tests, with Ignis trying and failing to explain Prompto just why the boy would need integral calculus as future member of Noctis' Kingsguard, when the message reached the kingdom that Magitek Troopers had attacked Ravus in an attempt to rid Niflheim of yet another possible spy. The man, while still alive, had suffered rather extensive burns and was in dire need of medical attention.

Before Noctis had fully registered the words, his body was already moving, Luna having taken control in her panic. If not for the endless trust he put in his wife, he might have screamed when Luna suddenly opened a window and jumped out, neatly warping down to the training ground of the new Glaives. Ignis, however, seemed to put less trust in Noctis' abilities, if his distressed shout was anything to go by. But Luna did not look back and instead sprinted over to where Libertus stood with Cor. The rain that by now was a near daily companion for Insomnia made the whole ordeal a bit more difficult, Noctis' bare feet slipping on the smooth stone that covered the area. Both men turned around as the noise of Noctis sprinting closer.

"How is he?" Nocis found himself asking, breathless and panicked, as soon as he stood in front of Libertus. The man looked visibly startled that the Crown Prince not only came to an admittedly impressive, skidding halt in front of him, but didn't seem to be the least bit affected by the 50 foot drop out of his window. Cor on the other hand, looked affected enough for the both of them, quite concerned and more than a little bit angry.

"And just why is our Crown Prince standing in front of us, outside, in the rain, barefoot, in the middle of November, without at least one member of his Kingsguard with him to keep him protected?"

"Ravus," Luna replied for Noctis. "Is he alright? How is his condition? Where did they bring him?" The two men seemed confused at Noctis sudden interest in the white haired man, yet Luna wouldn't be deterred now. She was on a mission.

"I've just been informed that Ravus was injured due to my and Drautos' actions. Seeing as he was attacked as an ally of Lucis, I assumed you're bringing him somewhere where you can assure his safety. Seeing as areas like these are rather rare for us at the moment, I assumed that you'd bring him here." Luna explained her train of thoughts deliberately slow. Cor sighed in irritation. One hand on the hilt of his sword and the other raking through the bristles of his short hair, he regarded Luna with a weary expression.

"I don't even know what you've been told...or by whom, seeing as I didn't dispatch anyone to actually inform you just yet while we still weren't sure of the situation...see here, your highness, Ravus was attacked on Niflheim territory. We can hardly march into there and risk a preemptive war for one person, no matter who it might be. I don't how you actually know him or what your relationship with him is...but it could take a while before we can act."

"But he's safe?" Luna asked, fear making her borrowed voice waver. Cor sighed.

"He's been brought to one of our outposts that we still have behind enemy lines. He's as safe as a person can be at a place like that. But...just for the record, it will take a while until he might reach Insomnia."

Luna did not take these news well. Within moments, Noctis was thrust back into control of his body and mind, with Luna having retreated so far back inside his consciousness that he almost couldn't make out her presence anymore.

"Now that we've cleared that up, I'd usually go with reprimanding you for standing before me as you are, with neither shoes nor Shield, but I believe latter's already on his way to do precisely that," Cor mused, looking over Noctis' shoulder into the distance in clear amusement. "And while Gladiolus still has a lot to learn in the way of both temper and swordsmanship, he'll be perfectly capable of reminding you just why your father just issued you two more personal guards…"

Noctis was about to reply when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"So, you wanna tell me why Iggy just called me about our royal Highness jumping out of the window?"

Noctis looked up over his shoulder to see his Shield towering over him. His expression was calm, yet Noctis could see the storm brewing in Gladio's eyes. Noctis didn't have to be a millennium old to know that he was in deep trouble.


End file.
